


Of Love In Small Spaces

by Taliesin_niseilaT



Series: No Matter How We Meet [5]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Boat Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, One Night Stands, Romance, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 04:52:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11328987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliesin_niseilaT/pseuds/Taliesin_niseilaT
Summary: Barry works on a ferry. Same questions all day, every day. Julian’s just passing through on his way home from a holiday. And if they happen to spend the night together, well. It passes the time.





	Of Love In Small Spaces

_of love in small spaces_

 

Julian Albert joins the large group of travellers with suitcases in the main reception area of the overnight ferry. Several employees try to create order in the chaos, routinely checking boarding passes, handing over cabin keys and pointing people in the right direction. He patiently waits his turn. ‘Good evening, sir. Welcome on board.’ Julian takes a moment to notice the man speaking to him is tall and cute. He offers a smile and the other man responds in kind before giving him his key. ‘There we are. Cabin 2014, on this deck. Just take the left hallway and follow the signs. Enjoy your stay.’

‘Thank you,’ Julian says. He feels a jolt of electricity when their fingers brush as Julian accepts the key.

 

Julian heads down the long carpeted hallway, glad to be able to lock himself up in his tiny cabin. He’s been on boats like these before. He drops his suitcase on the bottom bunk and takes a look through the window at the busy harbour, with several ships being loaded and cars everywhere. He reads a book for a while, then takes a walk on deck when the boat leaves and looks through the shops. Realising he forgot to book dinner, he heads to reception desk.

 

The man who gave him his cabin key is manning the desk. ‘Good evening,’ he says. Julian checks his name tag. _B. Allen._ ‘Good evening. Could I still book a place for dinner?’

‘Let me check that for you, sir.’ Allen taps a computer screen a few times. ‘I can squeeze you in at seven thirty, if that’s all right with you?’ Julian smiles. ‘That would be great. Oh, I’d like breakfast too.’

‘Sure,’ Allen says, naming the total price. Julian hands over his credit card, his eyes lingering on the line of the handsome receptionist’s neck. _Nice. Very nice._

Just before dinner, Julian stops by Allen’s desk to ask for directions to the restaurant. As if he can’t follow the signs. He’s probably imagining the way Allen’s green eyes light up at his approach. ‘I made sure you have a nice table,’ Allen confides in him before sending him upstairs with a wink. Julian’s delighted to be seated by the window in a quiet corner. He drops by Allen again on the way back to his cabin to thank him for his excellent service. It’s getting a little ridiculous, but the other man simply asks if he enjoyed his meal, not letting on that Julian is practically stalking him by now. ‘Have you worked here long?’

‘Two years,’ Allen says. ‘Good job?’

‘Yeah, it’s okay.’ The twinkle in the receptionist’s eyes tells Julian he knows exactly what he actually wants to ask. Postponing the inevitable awkward moment headed their way, he says, ‘I’m Julian, by the way.’

‘Nice to meet you, Julian. I’m Barry.’ Julian takes a deep breath. Now or never.

‘When does your shift end?’ Finally, the question he’s been working up to all night. Barry pulls up an eyebrow. ‘Ten o’clock. Why?’

Julian takes a deep breath. ‘Can I buy you a drink?’ Barry studies him carefully for a moment. ‘Yes. But not in one of the bars, they’re too crowdy. If you hurry, the store’s still open.’ Julian nods and heads for the staircase. ‘I like red wine!’ Barry calls after him. Julian returns ten minutes later with a bottle of wine. _Fancy_ wine, Barry notes. Not the cheap stuff most tourists buy on board. ‘Come to my cabin? It’s number 2014.’ Barry smiles. ‘I’ll see you there.’

 

He decides to turn off the overhead light in favour of the small reading lights to provide a cosier atmosphere. In as far as this sparse environment can look cosy. Julian sits on the bed, and waits, glancing anxiously at his watch. What if Barry never shows up? He’ll have made a right fool of himself, propositioning a stranger so openly. Well, he hasn’t exactly propositioned him _yet_ but his intentions are clear all the same. Barry probably gets this every night, looking the way he does. He feels so crass just hitting on him. Julian’s forced to put his worries aside when there’s a brief knock on the door.

 

Barry’s right there in the brightly lit hallway. Julian smiles at him. ‘Hi. Come in.’ The two of them step into the small cabin awkwardly, not quite sure what to do now.

‘Oh, what are you reading?’ Barry asks when he spots the book on Julian’s pillow.

‘A novel about two rivalling spies who fall in love. It sounds trashy but it’s quite lovely. And anyway there aren’t many gay spies out there in fiction, so I was lucky to find this book.’ Barry smiles at him while he reads the blurb. Julian busies himself uncorking the wine. He grins at Barry. ‘Good thing I brought this corkscrew as a gift for my sister. Otherwise I would have had to buy you the cheap plonk you can just unscrew.’

‘Yeah, and then you definitely wouldn’t get laid,’ Barry says without shame. Julian blushes, fumbles with the cork, and disappears into the bathroom for a second.

‘I have no glasses, so we’ll have to use these.’ Julian grabs the plastic cups provided for brushing his teeth. ‘We’re gonna drink fancy wine from _those?_ Wow, you know how to spoil a guy –’

‘Shut up,’ Julian says, pouring wine for Barry and putting it down on the tiny table provided. Julian sits on the bottom bunk while Barry folds himself down on a small stool and leans against the cabin wall. There’s so little distance between them that their knees bump, and apparently they’re both fine keeping them pressed together. This is, admittedly, heading in the right direction, especially when Barry’s hand briefly lands on Julian’s knee while they talk about his holiday. ‘Oh, I forgot,’ Julian says, reaching into a plastic bag he dropped on the floor, ‘I got these for us.’ Barry’s mouth twitches at the sight of the posh crisps. ‘Crispy bacon and _maple syrup?_ That’s got to be the weirdest flavour we sell. It’s probably the weirdest flavour _anyone_ sells.’

‘Okay, just try them,’ Julian sighs, exasperated. Barry does, pulling faces at the taste. Julian is inclined to agree with him, but he’ll be damned before admitting it. Instead he reaches out and takes Barry’s hand. Those green eyes flicker up to meet his.

 

‘This is sweet and everything, Julian, but...’

‘Oh god,’ Julian says, jerking his hand back so their fingers are no longer touching, ‘I knew this was a bad idea.’

‘You don’t have to try so hard,’ Barry says, putting his hand on Julian’s knee again.

‘Sorry. It’s just I don’t really do this sort of thing, I don’t know what to –’

Barry seizes him around the waist and kisses him. Okay, yeah, that’ll work. Julian smiles against Barry’s lips when they part. ‘Oh,’ Julian says, ‘So you’re saying, less talking and more action –’

‘No no, don’t ever stop talking,’ Barry cuts him off. ‘Your accent is... really hot.’

Julian laughs, his cheeks tinged with red, and bumps his head into the top bunk while reaching for Barry. ‘Ow! _Shit._ ’

‘Swearing. Even better,’ Barry says with a grin, gently pushing Julian down onto the bed and climbing on top of him. At least, that was the plan, but Barry’s long limbs don’t fit into small spaces very easily. Julian huffs out a breath when Barry’s hand accidentally pulls at his hair while trying to find purchase against the wall.

‘Shit, this cabin is so tiny –’

‘You wanna try living in one for six months at a time,’ Barry says, trying to unhook his leg from the ladder to the top bunk, his weight pressing heavily on Julian’s chest. ‘Don’t you get one of the fancy suites, then?’ Barry snorts. ‘I’m not exactly highly ranked here, trust me. My cabin is identical to this one.’

‘Wow,’ Julian says, ‘Home sweet home.’ Barry shrugs, finally freeing his leg with a muttered curse. ‘You get used to it eventually. We’ve got a couple of spacious staff lounges to make up for the lack of decent accommodation.’ Julian slides his fingers through Barry’s hair and pulls him into a warm kiss. It takes them a moment to figure out the best way to fit their mouths together, but the journey to get there is not altogether unpleasant either. Barry’s resting on top of him now, his fingers gently unbuttoning Julian’s shirt, his eyes sparkling when they pause for breath. Julian shifts underneath him, trying to push the shirt off. Unfortunately, this causes Barry to hit his head against the top bunk. ‘Fuck, I’m sorry,’ Julian says. ‘It’s fine,’ Barry groans, rubbing the painful spot for a second, ‘Damn, you should see the suites. They’re such a step-up from this... awkward situation.’

 

Julian suddenly smiles. ‘I have an idea,’ he says, making to get up. Barry shakes his head, ‘I can’t score us a suite, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s more than my job is worth.’

‘No need,’ Julian says, ‘We’ll stay right here and just get creative.’ He points Barry to the stool he sat on before. He seems confused while he settles down, his back against the wall. As soon as Julian pushes his legs apart and drops to his knees between them, the confusion lifts. ‘Oh!’ Barry gasps when Julian finally takes off his shirt. Barry throws his uniform shirt on the floor somewhere. It’s all carpeted anyway so their clothes won’t get _too_ dirty.

 

The second Julian is shirtless before him, a high-pitched giggle reaches them through the cabin wall. They stare at each other, wide-eyed and silent. ‘The soundproofing could be better,’ Barry whispers. Julian smirks up at him. ‘Then I guess you’ll have to try _really_ hard to stay quiet.’ Sitting up on his knees, Julian wraps his arms around Barry and presses his open mouth to his neck. Barry moans at the feeling of Julian’s tongue on his skin. ‘Is that gonna be a bruise tomorrow?’

‘Mmm,’ Julian says, ‘Wouldn’t want you to forget me in a hurry.’

‘As if,’ Barry scoffs, his fingers tracing patterns on Julian’s back, ‘This isn’t exactly a regular occurrence in my life.’ Julian hides his smile in Barry’s hair. He’s glad to hear he isn’t just another hook-up in a long line. Julian moves his head down, sucking on a nipple, then a spot just underneath Barry’s ribcage that makes him gasp and dig his nails into the other man’s back. ‘Good spot?’ Julian mutters into his hot skin. ‘Fuck, Julian. Yes.’

 

Julian’s hands hesitate at Barry’s belt buckle. ‘Okay?’ he asks. Barry nods, just a little out of breath. ‘Please.’ Julian can feel Barry’s eyes burning into his back when he gets up and reaches inside his bag to find a small box of condoms. ‘You better have some nice flavours in there,’ Barry says in a husky tone and Julian laughs. ‘Well, aren’t you the high-maintenance date? Shit. Sorry. I mean hook-up.’ Barry reaches out to pull him close and kiss him again. ‘Date sounds good too,’ he mutters into Julian’s mouth, and then there are hands deftly undoing his belt and his blond _date_ is back on his knees. Julian pushes Barry’s trousers and boxers down to his knees and applies a condom with practised ease.

 

‘What flavour’s that?’ Barry asks with a smirk. Julian licks a broad stripe over the head of his dick before answering, ‘Cherries.’

‘Unusual choice – mmh!’ Barry chokes out when Julian’s tongue swirls around him.

‘Want me to suck you off?’ the blond man asks cheekily.

‘ _Fuck_ yes,’ is all Barry finds himself able to say once Julian’s mouth wraps around his cock. It sounds like the best compliment Julian’s heard in a long time, so he takes Barry in deeper. A hand comes up to tangle in his hair and tug on it softly as he sucks. Barry makes delightful little sounds, Julian happily hums around the cock in his mouth, and slides his hands up Barry’s legs to rest on his hips. He’ll gladly bring Barry off this way, but his date seems to have other plans.

 

‘Wait,’ Barry gasps, gently pulling Julian’s mouth off him. ‘Do you have any lube in that suitcase of yours?’

‘I, uh, I think so, yes...’ No need to divulge that Julian made sure to buy some when he shopped on board earlier. That might seem a little too forward, although given their current situation... ‘What do you want?’ Julian asks, getting up to kiss Barry again. ‘You taste of artificial cherries,’ Barry murmurs against his mouth, and Julian pulls up an eyebrow, urging him to answer the question. ‘I wanna ride you,’ Barry says softly, ‘Yes?’

‘Fuck yes,’ Julian hisses as Barry’s mouth slowly moves over his neck, ‘We’ll have to figure something out though.’ He gestures to the bunk beds. ‘No problem,’ Barry says, getting up and dragging the pillows and duvets off both beds, spreading them out on the available floorspace. ‘There we go.’

Julian laughs. ‘I like the way you think.’ Barry kicks off his trousers and pushes Julian down on the messy pile of bedding. ‘Where d’you keep the lube, then?’ Julian likes this confident Barry very much, he must admit. Letting out a breathy laugh, he says, ‘Side pocket of my suitcase.’

 

Barry looks a mile tall from Julian’s position on the floor as he unzips the suitcase’s side pocket. He gives Julian an amused look when he pulls out a pink tube. ‘What is it with you and cherry-flavoured sex supplies?’

Julian turns red. ‘I just like cherries, okay!’ he sputters. Barry grins and lies down with Julian. ‘Fine by me.’ He kisses a trail down Julian’s chest and reaches for his zipper. ‘Better get these out of the way, huh?’ Julian lifts up his hips so Barry can strip him naked and chuck his trousers somewhere one of them will undoubtedly trip over them later. Then they’re curled up together, naked and needy, kissing hotly. Barry crawls on top of him as Julian slicks up his fingers and pulls him close enough for another kiss. He means to work Barry open gently, but the other man proves to be quite demanding. ‘C’mon, Jules, another, I can take it. Harder... yes. I’m not gonna _break_ , I need more, fuck fuck fuck.’

 

Julian laughs and pulls his three fingers out, grinning when Barry stares daggers at him. He shrugs. ‘Then _you_ do all the work, if you’re not pleased with my pace.’

‘Oh, gladly,’ Barry says, pinning Julian down with one hand on his chest and sitting up. ‘Where the fuck did you leave those condoms?’ _Such a foul mouth when he’s horny,_ Julian thinks affectionately. He bites his lip. ‘On the floor behind you, I think?’

In an impressive acrobatic feat, Barry leans back to find the small box without his thighs ever leaving Julian’s legs. He makes quick work of the condom, slathers extra lube on Julian’s dick and kneels over him, teasing him.

 

‘You want me?’ Julian rolls his eyes. ‘Isn’t that painfully obvious, Barry?’ He bucks up his hips to illustrate his point. ‘Mm, I guess so.’ Barry sinks down on Julian’s cock with a groan. ‘Oh fuck yes,’ Julian chokes out. ‘Shit, you’re perfect for me,’ Barry hisses, and Julian knows what he means because Barry feels wonderful around him, hot and tight and surprisingly slick. As entertaining as it is to watch Barry ride him, he really needs to be closer, so Julian sits up and draws the other man into his lap. ‘That’s gonna kill your back,’ Barry says, ‘Move back a bit and lean against the wall... Yes, like that.’

‘You’re too coherent,’ Julian says, wrapping his arms around Barry and fucking up into him roughly. Barry stutters out a broken moan and catches Julian’s mouth in a desperate kiss.

 

They move well together, finding a sharp, fast rhythm and panting into each other’s mouth. Barry reaches down to jerk himself off and Julian wraps his hand around Barry’s, pushing him towards orgasm that much quicker. ‘Julian – ah – I’m gonna come – _fuck!’_ His head drops down onto Julian’s shoulder, hands tangling into blond hair as Julian chases his own release desperately. He swears loudly when he comes, then goes very still with his mouth pressing against Barry’s neck.

 

The sudden silence between them seems deafening as they regain awareness of the gentle buzz of the ship’s engines and a touch of rock music their neighbours may or may not be playing to drown out their noise. Julian doesn’t give too much thought to that. Barry winces when he climbs off Julian and removes their condoms. Julian’s back is uncomfortably pressed into the hard wall so he stands up on shaky legs to find some tissues in his suitcase. Barry cleans them both up quickly and disappears into the tiny bathroom for a moment.

 

Neither of them suggests that Barry leave. Julian flicks off the lights and they settle down together in the mess of pillows and sheets on the floor.

‘God I’m tired,’ Barry sighs.

Julian nods and looks over at him. ‘This wasn’t what I expected when I stepped on board earlier.’

‘What wasn’t?’ Barry says, lazily trailing his fingers over Julian’s chest.

‘You, me. In my cabin, being very naked together.’

Barry laughs and pulls a sheet over the both of them. ‘Been a while since I had a work day end this well, I must admit. Goodnight, Julian.’

‘Sleep well, Barry.’

 

They wake up sharply the next morning when a female voice announces it to be six thirty local time, and that breakfast will be served shortly. Julian’s nose is buried in Barry’s shoulder, his leg thrown over Barry’s. He wouldn’t mind cuddling for a while longer, but Barry jumps up like he’s been stung. ‘Shit! My shift starts at seven, shit shit shit!’ Julian smiles at the sight of Barry, tall and gloriously naked, scrambling to collect his clothes from all over the cabin. ‘Can I –’ Barry vaguely gestures to the bathroom door. ‘Sure, go ahead,’ Julian says. Barry takes a very quick shower, bursts back into the room _still naked,_ and Julian just wants to pull him down on their improvised bed and _feel_ him again. But Barry’s struggling to put his uniform back on and smoothe it down to make it look as if it hasn’t been on the floor all night.

 

‘Barry,’ Julian says, sitting up, ‘I live in Hull.’ Barry stares at him, bewildered, one foot caught in his trousers. ‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah.’ Julian gets up and pulls a slip of paper out of his suitcase, jotting down his name and phone number. ‘So if you’d maybe like to see me again, give me a call?’ Barry smiles, grabs the pen Julian’s holding and writes down his own number on a _P &O Ferries_ notepad he finds in his pocket. ‘I’d love to. We’re in Hull every other day. I don’t always get time off, but I’m sure we can arrange something.’ They exchange numbers, Barry finishes dressing, and then steps in close, pulling Julian’s naked body against his own and giving him a lingering kiss. Then he’s out the door, the taste of Julian’s tongue in his mouth and the memory of their night together putting a new spring in his step.

 

Two of his colleagues corner Barry in his office just as the passengers begin to fill up the hallway, waiting for the signal to go back to their cars on the lower decks. The three of them have become close friends during their time together on the ferry.

‘Sooo, Barry,’ Cisco says with a smirk, ‘I dropped by late last night to see if you felt like a game of chess... only to find _someone_ didn’t sleep in their own bed.’ Red tinges Barry’s cheeks. ‘Yeah. Um. I was... upstairs.’

‘Ah, so a passenger! Interesting. Who was it?’

Barry grins. ‘Unlike you, I don’t kiss and tell.’

‘That was one time!’ Cisco protests.

‘Yeah and anyway, anyone would brag about sleeping with me. Right, Cisco?’ Cisco’s boyfriend Hartley chimes in, his eyes trained on the small lovebite on Barry’s neck.

‘You got it, babe. So, you were saying... who?’ Cisco says.

‘I’m really not telling you,’ Barry says.

‘Fair enough, Barry, play it the hard way.’

Barry scans the crowd to catch one last glimp of Julian’s blond hair. The other man throws him a smile even as Cisco and Hartley try to spot him among the throng of passengers.

‘But I will say this,’ Barry tells them, ‘He’s welcome to travel with us again.’


End file.
